Abstract
Purpose: Receipt of HIV testing results is vital for individuals to know their status and make decisions that would improve their access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. The objective of this study is to determine the association of HIV testing and receipt of results with three key exposure variables (HIV stigma, HIV knowledge, and media use) stratified by gender and country.Methods: Data from a random sample of adults aged 15–49 years from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda were abstracted from country-specific Demographic and Health Surveys or AIDS Indicators Surveys. Individuals were asked questions regarding demographics, socioeconomic status, sexual behaviors/attitudes, HIV knowledge, HIV stigma, and media-consumption. Weighted logistic regression was used to determine the association between receipt of HIV testing with key risk factors stratified by gender and country.Results: Gender disparities in HIV testing and receipt of results, HIV stigma, and HIV knowledge remain high. More women have recently tested for HIV and received their results than men. HIV stigma was associated with decreased recent HIV testing in all six countries for women, and for men except in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. HIV knowledge was positively related to recent testing in all countries, except Uganda for women and Kenya and Tanzania for men. In Burundi and Rwanda, women had more HIV knowledge than men, while in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda, men had more HIV knowledge than women.Conclusion: Given the importance of HIV testing for effective management of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, it is crucial for these countries to exchange information on gender-specific policies and strategies that have the most impact on increasing HIV knowledge and decreasing HIV stigma.
Highlights
HIV counseling and testing has been shown to be associated with reductions in transmission/acquisition behaviors for both HIV-infected and uninfected individuals,[1] but it is only successful if individuals make informed decisions after receiving their results
HIV stigma is at least one negative response to one of four stigma variables
HIV comprehensive knowledge is a composite score based on correct responses to five questions[14] that include two ways to prevent AIDS and three questions accepting correct HIV beliefs
Summary
HIV counseling and testing has been shown to be associated with reductions in transmission/acquisition behaviors for both HIV-infected and uninfected individuals,[1] but it is only successful if individuals make informed decisions after receiving their results. Uptake of HIV testing remains relatively low in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with 40–80% ever tested and 20–53% testing and receiving results in the last 12 months.[2] The World Health Organization (WHO). Found between 2010 and 2014, only 48% of adults received HIV testing services in Africa, even though. 52% of the global total of people living with HIV are found in SSA.[3,4] This low testing uptake affects linkage to care. By the end of 2016, only 60% of people living with HIV in SSA were accessing antiretroviral therapy.[5] There is increased risk of HIV infection by gender. As of 2015, young women accounted for 25% of new HIV infections among adults, and women accounted for 56% of new infections among
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